Fireplace screen



1935- A. G. LOVEJOY, JR 2,023,604

FIREPLACE SCREEN Filed Oct. 25, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet l .37 /l' /7 A3 f Dec. w, 1935 A. G. LOVEJOY,

FIREPLACE SCREEN Filed Oct. 25, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Dec. 10, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 3 Claims.

My invention relates to fireplace screens such as are placed in front of a fireplace to serve as a barrier to arrest flying sparks projected from the fire within the fireplace, and it has for its object to improve the construction of screens of the class indicated, and especially to provide an improved miter joint for connecting the frame members of the screen. It is also an object of this invention to provide a joint of the character described which will not be injuriously affected by heat radiating from the fire in front of which the screen is used, or by heat to which the parts of the frame may be subjected during the process of manufacturing.

Fireplace screens of the class to which my invention relates are made from metal and include sheet metal frame members which are of channel iron shape in cross section, said members being connected end to end to form a marginal housing frame, usually more or less ornamental, for a panel of wire netting.

Also it has heretofore been the practice to secure each pair of abutting ends of the frame members together by means of solder, said ends being usually matched and united upon a line bi-secting the angle of junction of the two frame members. Y

It has also been common to provide the opposite side walls of one of said members with a pair of inwardly offset tangs at its end to overlap and fit against the inner faces of the opposite side walls of the other member.

A screen of this sort having soldered joints cannot be successfully enameled for the reason that during the enameling process it is subjected to a degree of heat which greatly exceeds the melting point of the solder with the result that the soldered joints of the screen would be destroyed. Also, these soldered joints were objectionable for the reason that they would sometimes be destroyed by the heat from the fire in front of which the screen was placed. My invention is designed to obviate these objectionable features and it provides an improved screen of the class described wherein the housing frame members are a positively interlocked and fastened together end to end when brought together in assembled relationship thus avoiding the use of solder so that the frame cannot be injuriously affected either by heat radiating from the fire or by the heat to which the frame is subjected during enameling operations.

Other features of my invention are hereinafter pointed out.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is an elevation of an end portion of an articulated fireplace screen whereof each section is constructed in accordance with my invention. 5

I Figure 2 is a fragmentary enlarged elevation of a corner portion of the screen shown in Figure 1.' Figure 3 is a section on line 33 of Figure 2. Figure 4 is a side elevation of the upper end portion of one of the vertical frame members 10 hereinafter described.

Figure 5 is aside elevation of one end of one of the horizontal frame members hereinafter described.

Figure 6 is a perspective view of a corner por- 15 tion of the frame with the parts thereof occupying separated relationship and partly broken away for purposes of illustration.

..Figure 'l is a plan View of one end portion of the sheet metal blank from which each horizontal 20 frame member is formed.

Figure 8 isa plan view of one end portion of the sheet metal blank from which each vertical frame member is formed.

Figure 9 showsthe blank of Figure 8 after it 25 has been partially formed.

7 Figure 10 is' an end view of the blank shown in "Figure 9.

Figure 11 is a sectional detail, hereinafter described, of a structure embodying frame mem- 30' bers made from the blanks of Figs. '7, 8, 9 and 10.

Figure 12 is a plan view of one end of a par- .tiallyformed blank of alternative construction.

Figure 13is an end view of the blank-shown in Figure 12. 35

ture adapted to be placedlupright in position upon the floor in front of a fireplace.

Each section l0 comprises the usual panel E2 of wire netting whose marginal portion is welded 50 or otherwise secured to an inner rectangular panel frame comprising a horizontal top bar l3,

a horizontal bottom bar [4 and two vertical side bars l5. These bars may be made from heavy ,wire and are fastened together by welding or otherwise to form a stiff rectangular frame for the panel of wire netting I2, all as usual.

To each panel I2 with its heavy wire frame is applied an ornamental marginal housing frame which incloses the wire frame of the panel and the marginal portion of the latter, said ornamental frame consisting of strips or members of sheet metal molded into channel iron form and fastened together end to end.

Each ornamental frame comprises two vertical side members I6 whose opposite ends are fastened to the ends of two horizontal members Il.

Each vertical member I6 is made from a'fiat sheet metal blank I6a having its opposite ends formed as shown in Fig. 8 and said blank is folded longitudinally on the dotted lines I8 into the cross-sectional channel iron shape illustrated in Fig. 6 so as to provide an outer intermediate wall I9 and two perpendicular side walls 28.

Each side wall 28 has its opposite end portions each bent transversely inwardly on the oblique dotted line 2|, Fig. 8, and then reversely on the parallel oblique dotted line 22 so asto. provide each end of each side wall 20 with a triangular inwardly offset tang portion 23 that is parallel with its side wall 20, and so as to provide an oblique shoulder or ledge 24, Fig. 6, whose outer end which is parallel with the folds 2 I and 22.

Each horizontal member I1 is made from a flat sheet metal blank Ila having each end thereof formed, as shown in Fig. '7, with .two' pairs of oblique and alined beveled edges 26 and 21, the edges of each pair being disposed at opposite sides of a latch tang 28, and one of said pairs and its latch tang being disposed at one side of the blank Ila and the other pair and its latch tang being disposed at the opposite side thereof.

The blank Ila shown in Fig. 7 is folded longitudinally on the parallel dotted lines 30 into the cross sectional channel iron shape illustrated in Fig. 3 which provides'an outer intermediate wall 3I and two perpendicular side walls 32. The member thus formed is sprung into position upon the marginal portion of the panel I2 as illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3.

In the illustrated embodiments of my invention the proximate abutting end portions of the outer frame are disposed at right angles and for this reason the edges 26 and 21 of each blank Ila are disposed at degrees with respect to the longitudinal median line of'the latter, and for the same reason the folds 2I and 22 of blank I6a are made on lines which are disposed at 45 degrees with respect to the median line of that blank.

It will therefore be clear that when the proximate ends of two frame members arebrought together into abutting relationship as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 and as presently to be described, both edges 26 and 21 of each pair fit against the shelf or ledge 24 upon their side of the frame and the joint between said edges'and shelf is a Each latch tang 28 is made, adjacent to its junction with its wall 32 with a locking shoulder 33 which is one end of a small triangular panel or section 35 of the blank Ila that is defined by said shoulder, the outermost edge of tang 28 and a transverse dotted line 34, Fig. '7. In one form of my invention the frame member that is produced from blank Ila is completed with. the

small triangularpanel 35, Fig. 7, perpendicularly disposed relatively to its tang 2B and wall 32 as shown in Fig. 6. When the proximate complementary ends of two frame members are brought together during the assembling operation, the latch tangs 28 are inserted in the slots 25 of the 5 other member with the result that when the two members have been brought fully together into abutting relationship the shoulder 33, Fig. 7, is sprung into position behind the inner side of shelf or ledge 24 thereby positively locking the two 10 members in assembled relationship. In another form of my invention the triangular panel 35 is folded on the dotted line 34, Fig. 7, into a position where it is at right angles with respect to the plane of its tang 28 as shown in Figs. 6 and 11. 15 When this construction is employed and the two members are fitted together end to end the shoulder 33 is sprung into position behind the inner oblique edge of tang 23, which borders the slot 25 thereby positively locking the two members together as shown in Fig. 11. The latter construction is preferred by me.

In another form of my invention the horizontal or male members Il are produced from a flat sheet metal blank Ilb, having its opposite ends constructed as illustrated in Figs. 12 and 13. In this case the blank Ilb is made with latch tangs 28b which are not formed with shoulders 33 but which are bent reversely as shown at 36 and 31, Fig. 13, to provide locking shoulders 38 adjacent 30 to the junction of the tang with its side Wall 32.

' The member formed from the blank Ilb is, when inner edges of the tangs 23 of the member I6 as shown in Fig. 14.

The ends of the horizontal bars I3 of the inner frame abut the vertical side bars I5, as shown in Fig. 2, and are welded thereto, while the opposite end of each vertical side bar I5 extends through an aperture I36, Fig. 12, formed in horizontal 45 members Il. Nuts 3l, Figs. 1 and 2, are screwed on to the upper threaded ends of the two bars I5 j that are at opposite ends of the screen and also on to the upper ends of the intermediate long bolts Ila, all as usual except that in the present instance they serve also to clamp the housing frame members snugly together in abutting relationship.

It is to be understood that the housing frame constructed as above described may be employed otherwise than as part of a fireplace screen, for example, as the frame for a picture. Therefore, when not associated with an inner frame I3-I4-I5 I may construct the member I6 with tabs or lugs 38, Fig. 15, one at each end thereof. After assembling and interlocking the parts of the frame as above described the lugs or tabs 38 are bent downwardly and inwardly against the horizontal members Il as illustrated in Fig. 15 so that the two members I6 and Il are securely held together in abutting relationship and against any relative movement. One of these tabs or tangs 38 is indicated by a dot and dash line in Fig. 9.

What I claim is:-

1. A housing frame comprising a pair of angularly and endwise abutting sheet metal frame members each of which is of channel-iron shape in cross section, one of said members having its 75 opposite side walls each formed upon its outer side with a transversely oblique slotted shoulder and having an inwardly ofiset end tang portion adjoining one side of said shoulder that is parallel with the portion of said side wall that adjoins the opposite side of said shoulder and is adapted to be fitted within the channel of the other member, and said other member having its opposite side walls beveled at their ends to fit edgewise against said transversely oblique shoulders, and also formed each with a latch tang adapted to project through the slot of one of said shoulders and interlock with the adjacent side wall of said first mentioned member thereby to positively fasten the two members together as the latter are assembled.

2. A frame constructed in accordance with claim 1 and wherein each transversely oblique shoulder is disposed in a plane which is perpendicular to its side wall and bisects the angle of junction of said members.

3. A housing frame constructed in accordance with claim 1 wherein said first mentioned memher is made at its end with a tang adapted to be 10 folded inwardly against the outer portion of said other member thereby to hold the two members in abutting relationship.

ARTHUR G. LOVEJOY, JR. 

